The National Assembly of Vietnam on Friday elected a veteran revolutionary favoring capitalist-style reform as the country's new prime minister. The 69-year-old Vo Van Kiet, who boldly introduced Western reforms as mayor of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, will confront a host of economic ills as he takes over the government, analysts said. Kiet succeeds the more conservative Do Muoi, who remains the country's most powerful figure through his position as head of the Communist Party.

Former Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, an economic reformer who led the communist nation away from poverty and isolation and backed the normalization of ties with the United States, died Wednesday. He was 85. Kiet, who was prime minister from 1991 to 1997, died in a Singapore hospital, where he was taken Saturday after suffering a stroke, government officials said.

The National Assembly of Vietnam recently elected its first reform-minded prime minister, Vo Van Kiet, under the unified Communist government. An old-line Communist leader who began to favor reform while mayor of Ho Chi Minh City, the 69-year-old faces the challenge of bringing market reforms to a nation with a centrally planned, state-directed economy. The nation, where 85% of the people are agrarian and the average annual income is about $200, suffers from a number of economic ills.

Even while offering a conciliatory message to overseas Vietnamese, such as those in Orange County, Vietnam served notice Wednesday that it will make no concessions on demands for more democracy or the question of political prisoners despite the U.S. decision to normalize diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet said, however, that he believes normalization will allow expatriates to get closer to their homeland.

Reformer and free-marketeer Vo Van Kiet was reelected Vietnam's premier Thursday for a five-year term and said his appointment shows that the people back economic reforms. Kiet promised to wage war on corruption. "Corruption is a burning issue for the whole party and whole society," he told the Voice of Vietnam radio station.

Former Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, an economic reformer who led the communist nation away from poverty and isolation and backed the normalization of ties with the United States, died Wednesday. He was 85. Kiet, who was prime minister from 1991 to 1997, died in a Singapore hospital, where he was taken Saturday after suffering a stroke, government officials said.

Even while offering a conciliatory message to overseas Vietnamese, such as those in Orange County, Vietnam served notice Wednesday that it will make no concessions on demands for more democracy or the question of political prisoners despite the U.S. decision to normalize diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet said, however, that he believes normalization will allow expatriates to get closer to their homeland.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, in a new crackdown on corruption, has told officials they must not exchange gifts with foreign businessmen, the official weekly Saigon Economy said Friday. Foreign business people complain that in order to get things done quickly, they sometimes have to give Vietnamese officials valuable "gifts" or bribes.

Vietnamese Vice Premier Vo Van Kiet painted a bleak picture of the nation's economy, calling for the abolition of free health care and education. "The country's social, economic and financial position did not improve in 1988," he said in his opening speech at the December session of the National Assembly. A relatively strong growth rate is being offset by inflation, poor tax collections and a budget deficit, he said.

The troubled U.N. peace effort in Cambodia is expected to be high on the agenda as Chinese Premier Li Peng begins a five-day visit to Vietnam next Monday for talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. While they are among the last officially communist states on Earth, the two countries only normalized their relations a year ago, almost 13 years after fighting a brief border war.

Reformer and free-marketeer Vo Van Kiet was reelected Vietnam's premier Thursday for a five-year term and said his appointment shows that the people back economic reforms. Kiet promised to wage war on corruption. "Corruption is a burning issue for the whole party and whole society," he told the Voice of Vietnam radio station.

The National Assembly of Vietnam recently elected its first reform-minded prime minister, Vo Van Kiet, under the unified Communist government. An old-line Communist leader who began to favor reform while mayor of Ho Chi Minh City, the 69-year-old faces the challenge of bringing market reforms to a nation with a centrally planned, state-directed economy. The nation, where 85% of the people are agrarian and the average annual income is about $200, suffers from a number of economic ills.

The National Assembly of Vietnam on Friday elected a veteran revolutionary favoring capitalist-style reform as the country's new prime minister. The 69-year-old Vo Van Kiet, who boldly introduced Western reforms as mayor of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, will confront a host of economic ills as he takes over the government, analysts said. Kiet succeeds the more conservative Do Muoi, who remains the country's most powerful figure through his position as head of the Communist Party.

State Control of Economy to Be Eased: The government said it will reduce its direct control of key economic sectors by forming semiautonomous alliances of corporations. The alliances, consisting of at least seven major companies each, will manage their own operations rather than relying on the direction of government ministries, the state-run Vietnam News reported. Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, a leading advocate of free market reforms, will appoint the managers of each group, the newspaper said.

Premier Vo Van Kiet of Vietnam will make the first visit ever to Japan by a Vietnamese head of government for four days beginning Wednesday. His aim: to secure future Japanese aid and foreign investment. He also will get an offer from Japan to help the Hanoi government draft economic laws designed to induce foreign investment and provide a framework for a market economy.